The Jernigan Institute is a research and training institute developed and run by the blind, the first and only of its kind. It was established in Baltimore in January 2004. The goal of the institute is to understand the struggles of blindness and work toward the independence of blind individuals.
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Overview
The Jernigan Institute is the product of the National Federation of the Blind's campaign to "Change What it Means to be Blind." The campaign's goal was to raise money for an institute focused on research and development of technology for the blind, as well as training and education on blindness.
The Jernigan institute was officially opened January 30, 2004. Their goal is to understand the struggles of blindness and work toward the independence of blind individuals. They work to develop and commercialize assistive technology, provide educational programs, and increase employment opportunities for the blind.
Their mission statement is, "The National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute leads the quest to understand the real problems of blindness and to develop innovative education, technologies, products, and services that help the world's blind to achieve independence."
National Center for Blind Youth in Science (NCBYS)
The NCBYS is an initiative designed to educate the blind youth of career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) that are often believed to be impossible for blind people to pursue. They also sponsor innovations in education and technology for the blind.
A few of their projects include:
Braille
The Jernigan Institute promotes literacy among blind people of all ages through the use of Braille. They work to give the blind youth a Braille education through programs like NFB Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning (BELL), Braille Certification Training Program, and Braille Readers Are Leaders 360 (BRL360). The institute also spreads public awareness of Braille use and works to increase the amount of Braille used in public places across America.
Other
The Jernigan Institute offers various programs that promote and empower independence among the blind. Such programs provide an education in and promote the use of tools and resources for blind youth, leadership training, and empowerment and resources for parents and teachers of blind children.
Technology
The Jernigan Institute works to increase the quality and amount of nonvisual accessibility on all types of technology that is produced today. A few examples of their efforts include: